Sealing device



June 17, 1947. vF. LE B. LORD 2,422,248

SEALING DEVICE- Filed 061;. 28, 1944 I INVENTOR E 45 fi/mwo/v [0/P0.

I ATTORN EY Patented June 17, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT oFF c- Francis Le Barron Lord, Bloomfield, N. .J-., as-

signor to T-it'elox Manufacturing Company, Montclair, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 28, 1944, Serial No. 560,856

2 Claims.

.1 This invention relates to improvements in sealing devices for valves and the like. In such devices, :a member such as a valve stem, pump,

shaft, rod or the like, reciproc'ates or rotates. The invention "is designed to preclude leakage of the liquid, gas or other medium to be controlled, without interfering with the rotation, reciprocation, or other movement of the operative parts of the device.

It has been common, in the use of high pressure valves, for example, to provide a gasket or packing fricticnally held against the valve stem.

Such expedients have been found ineffective as it has been common heretofore to use a material soft enough to permit the rotating or reciprocating movement of the parts, so that the maintenance of a seal was extremely difficult. It has been found in practice that various expedients heretofore employed to attain the ends described are adversely affected by usage, with resultant leaklage.

The structure of my invention is designed to overcome the objections noted above, in a positive and eifective manner, which permits of the sealing of the opening through which the valve stem or the like passes, while permitting the rotation, reciprocation or other movement of the parts in operation.

The structure of my invention is adapted to be accurately adjusted in "a simple manner and its features are such that leakage is effectively obviated.

It has been found, under tests, that a valve made in accordance with the invention, may be subjected to pressures far in excess of those normally used and in excess of those employed in the testing of parts, without leakage; the device does not exihibit the fatigue characteristics encountered in the use of conventional structures under prolonged testing and operating conditions.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the upper portion of a valve member embodying my invention, taken on line l--l of Fig. 2, in the direction of the arrows,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal, transverse sectional view thereof, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, in the direction of the arrows, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, perspective View of a disc member employed in carrying out my invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in Fig. 1 there is shown the upper portion of a valve embodying my invention, said upper portion comprising a bonnet I 0, in which a valve stem H is rotatably positioned, said valve stem being provided with a handle or handwheel is or the like at the upper end thereof. cap member M is positioned on the loonnet "Hi, the inner walls of the cap member being tapered as at $5; the cap member is provided with a medial aperture to 'through'which the valve stem passes. The cap member I4 is provided an'internal key "I 1, preferably integral therewith, which project's beyond the plane'of the inner walls as shown in Fig. '1, said key being adapted to be received in 'a keyway T8 in an inner member i=9, the latter being externally tapered complementarily to the walls l5 of the capmember and beinginternally threaded as at 20 for threaded engagement with the threaded extension '21 of the bonnet "I 0. The :i-nner member I9 is vertically split las at 22 to enable the same to be contracted for initial insertion into the cap and again contracted in use, as hereinafter more particularly described."

A plurality of disc members 23 are positioned in the internally tapered, recessed portion 290i extension 2! of bonnet member 10. Said discs 2'3 ar of smular characteristics and construction except that they are, as shown in Fig. 1, of progressively varying dimensions to 'conform to'the tapered recess 29. The discs are positioned in the recess 29 with the discs 23 of progressively smaller diameter positioned lowermost as will become apparent from an inspection of the drawings.

A description of one disc member will suifice for all; for that purpose reference is made to Fig. 3, wherein the disc 23 is shown provided with a medial aperture 24 of such diameter as to receive the valve stem l l. The upper face of the disc is provided with a circumferential recess 25 communicating with aperture 24 and the lower face of the disc is provided with a circumferential grooved portion 26 adjacent the aperture 24, one wall of said grooved portion 26 being parallel with the recessed portion 25 of the disc to define therewith a circumferential fin 21 adjacent the aperture 24 and projecting angularly from the disc proper. The fin 21 constitutes in effect a diaphragm which is angularly directed against the valve stem II and is contractable thereabout on the rotation of the cap member l4 in one direction; on rotation of said cap member in the other direction, the tension of the fin on the valve stem may be correspondingly reduced. The outer wall 28 of the disc is tapered complementarily to the internal recess 29 of the extension 2| of bonnet ID. The disc 23 is preferably molded or otherwise formed of a compound containing oilite, graphite, or of pressed-powder or molded metal, plastic or other material which is preferably saturated or coated with a lubricating material, whereby, on contraction of the disc 23, the circumferential fin 21 thereof will be contracted about the valve stem H to effectively seal the latter in the disc and, at the same time, permit rotation and reciprocation of the valve stem in said disc.

In operation, the parts are assembled as shown in Fig. 1; to seal the valve stem 1 I, the cap member I4 is rotated, advancing the inner member l9 toward the open end of the cap member of smaller diameter, contracting said inner member upon the bonnet extension 2 I, contracting the latter about the discs 23, which, are advanced toward the narrow end of recess 29 and compressing the fins .21 on the valve stem II. It will be apparent that, by the arrangement described, a very fine and positive adjustment of the tension of the fins on the valve stem may be obtained.

By utilizing a plurality of discs 23 of progressively varying diameters the danger of leakage is further reduced since the discs 23, in the arrangement shown and described, constitute in effect a laminated multi-fin structure wherein each fin serves as an individual sealing unit; as will be appreciated, possibility of leakage throu h the severalfins is quite remote. The discs 23 maybe united to form a single unit or may be initially formed as a single unit; the drawings illustrate the form of invention in which the discs are formed separately to attain greater independent freedom of movement of the individual discs.

The keyway 18 is located at a predetermined circumferential point relative to the slit 22 of the internal member I 9 so that one may obtain a predetermined wrapping efiect to resist-disengagement of th parts. If the keyway is located diametrically opposite the slit 22 (which would be at a peripheral point substantially 180 from the slit'22) then the keying of member l9 in the cap I 4 would be substantially at a neutral point so that-no wrapping effect would be attained. By selecting a circumferential point at which the keyway I8 is located relative to the slit 22 other than 180, one may predetermine .the wrapping effect to-be attained and the tendency of the parts to resist disengagement and to favor a tightening; or loosening tendency, after assembly.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters P atent, is: i l V 1. A sealing device for a member in which a rod is positioned, comprising a cap member positioned over the first named member, said cap member being provided with tapered inner walls and with an aperture for reception of said rod, and with a key projecting beyond the plane of said inner walls, and an inner member adapted to be positioned in saidcap member, said inner member being externally tapered to conform to the tapered walls of the cap member and having a keyway to receive said key, and being further provided with a vertical slit and being internally threaded for threadedly engaging the first named member, the first named member being provided with an internally recessed portion, and a disc member adapted to be positioned in said last named portion, said disc member being provided with an aperture for reception of said rod.

2. A sealing device fora, member in which a rod is positioned, comprising a cap member positioned over the first named member, said cap member being provided with tapered inner Walls and with an aperture for reception of said rod, and with a key projecting beyond the plane of said inner Walls, and an inner member adapted to be positioned in said cap member, said inner member being ,externally tapered to conform to the tapered walls of the cap member and having a keyway to receive said key, and being further provided with a vertical slit and being internally threaded for threadedly engaging the first named member, th first named member being provided with an internally tapered, recessed portion, and a disc member adapted to be positioned in said last named portion, said disc member being provided with an aperture for reception of said rod and with a tapered outerwall complementary to the 1 tapered portion of the first named member.

' F. LE BARRON LORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

